Welcome to the Center for Creative Conflict Resolution at OATH

New York City government’s central resource for Alternative Dispute Resolution and Restorative Practices

The Center for Creative Conflict Resolution has served as a conflict resource for New York City government, its agencies, employees, unions and the public they serve since 2016. Operating under the auspices of the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH), the Center works to create positive change in the ways conflicts are managed and resolved within New York City government.

The Center provides creative, collaborative, flexible, cost efficient and "breathable" options to effectively manage conflicts within and across New York City government. The Center provides a wide range of free services to City government employees and agencies. Through these efforts, the Center seeks to transform the harmful potential of conflict into opportunities for improved communication, enhanced relationships, greater public trust and positive change.

Key to NYC – Vaccination Mandate Conflict Resolution Training for Businesses

Transcript of video: (Español) (اللغة العربية) (বাংলা) (中文) (Français) (Kreyòl) (Polskie) (Русском) (اردو)

Read this one pager with quick tips from the training: Key to NYC Conflict Resolution Tips (Español) (اللغة العربية) (বাংলা) (中文) (Français) (Kreyòl) (한국어) (Polskie) (Русском) (اردو)

Executive Order 63 Establishing the Center and Promoting Restorative Justice Principles

On February 18, 2021, Mayor Bill de Blasio officially established the Center as the City government’s central dispute resolution resource through an historic endorsement of conflict resolution and Restorative Justice in New York City via Executive Order 63 .

The Executive Order directs all agencies to designate an ADR Coordinator and to consult with the Center to incorporate Restorative Justice principles into their workplaces and missions.

A Recovery for All of Us: Press release re: EO 63

The Center's Services

Workplace Mediation
Neighborhood and Small Business Mediation (MEND NYC)
Conflict Coaching
Strategic Conflict Consultation
Group Facilitation
Restorative Practices
Dispute Systems Design
Training

To access these services through your agency, please contact your agency’s ADR Coordinator, EEO Officer or HR Director.

If you are currently working with the Center and have questions and concerns, please contact the Center staff person you are directly working with.

All other inquiries may be directed to mediationcenter@oath.nyc.gov.

Remote services are available upon request.

Center Brochure

Testimonials

"I enjoyed the mediation process, it helped me to realize the stressors of my peers, and mediators were very helpful in finding ways we can use to combat every stress."

"As a representative of both parties in this dispute, I was surprised and pleased that mediation on such a professional level was offered to members. The process was thorough and helpful."

"Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to discuss this matter. I now feel a lot of stress has been removed from the work environment and I have agreed to work hard at keeping it that way."

"I was completely satisfied with the outcome. Everything was handled in a professional manner, which made me comfortable, and brought me in seeing the respondent's viewpoint, as well as mine. I am ready to put this behind me and move forward."

Center Staff and Mediator Panel

All services are provided by the Center Staff and a diverse panel of external Mediators and Trainers.

Hon. Raymond E. Kramer

Judge Kramer serves as the Center's Executive Director and Director of the Administrative Judicial Institute at OATH, the mission of which is to provide ongoing educational programs, training and workshops to New York City administrative law judges and hearing officers. An Administrative Law Judge and Mediator, Judge Kramer leads the Center's Dispute Systems Design initiative. He has many years of experience mediating in the Family Court and workplace contexts and assisting parties in settling matters before OATH. He holds an Adjunct Professor post at New York University Law School, where he co-teaches the Mediation and Advanced Mediation: Dispute System Design Clinics, and New York University's School of Professional Studies, where he teaches Dispute Resolution and Conflict Management in the Master's Degree Program in Human Resources.

Justo A. Sanchez

Justo A. Sanchez serves as the Center's Director of Center Services. An experienced Mediator, Justo developed his craft actively mediating community and family disputes as well as court referred cases at various venues throughout New York City. From 2005-2010, he served as the Director of OATH's initial workplace mediation program, The Center for Mediation Services. His prior positions include serving as a Child Permanency Mediator with the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, mediating child permanency matters in the NYC Family Courts. He also served as Mediation Coordinator with the Center for Court Innovation, where he managed the Harlem Community Justice Center's Mediation Program. Throughout his career, he has worked with a wide variety of groups, couples and individuals across a broad spectrum of conflict themes and contexts. Justo received his Bachelor of Arts from Hunter College.

Halley B. Anolik

Halley B. Anolik, Esq. serves as the Center's Director of Education and Training. In this role, Halley oversees, creates, and delivers trainings to city agencies and their employees on ways to understand and incorporate conflict resolution and restorative practices’ theory and skills into their workplace relationships. Prior to joining the Center, Halley worked at New York Center for Interpersonal Development where she mediated a variety of case types, collaborated with courts, schools and various community groups to implement mediation programs and provided training in conflict resolution. Halley graduated cum laude from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law with a concentration in Alternative Dispute Resolution and currently holds an Adjunct Professor post at Brooklyn Law School, where she directs their Mediation Clinic and teaches various courses in the field of ADR.

Karin McAvoy

Karin McAvoy serves as the Administrative Coordinator for the Administrative Judicial Institute and the Center. Karin is a top-performing Executive Assistant with more than 20 years of experience managing office priorities and providing exceptional administrative support for executives and government officials. She received her Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix and her Certified Administrative Professional (CAP) designation from the International Association of Administrative Professionals.

Kimberly Guzman

Kimberly Guzman serves as the Center's Administrative Assistant. Having served in various capacities in diverse environments at OATH for 8+ years, Kim brings exceptional customer service experience to the Center. She is skilled in providing customer care, coordinating and responding to complex internal and external agency requests, supervising and training staff on policies and procedures, database management and record keeping through her experience with the Department of Records and Information Services. Prior to OATH, Kim conducted parenting workshops, evaluated child development tools and supervised recreational and educational activities for children and adolescents at Women in Need, an organization that supports homeless single mothers and children. Kim has a passion for learning and public service.

Sethu L. Nair

Sethu L. Nair serves as the Center's Director of ADR and Restorative Programming. In collaboration with the Executive Director, Sethu guides the implementation of the Executive Order 63 and delivers all Center services in collaboration with her colleagues.

Sethu is a trainer in Restorative Practices and is the Center’s go-to Executive Leadership Coach. She is a member of the team at Hidden Water NYC, where she facilitates restorative circles to heal the impact of child sexual abuse in the family system. She also teaches Conflict Resolution and Restorative Practices at Columbia University.

Prior to joining the Center, Sethu ran her own Conflict Management and Coaching practice. Sethu has worked across a range of conflicts including; family matters, small business disputes, non-profit staff and board challenges, workplace conflict and community discord. Sethu is graduate of SUNY Purchase and the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University.

Eric Shanks

Eric Shanks, Conflict Resolutions Specialist, is a clinical social worker, psychotherapist, mediator, and restorative justice practitioner. In his work, Eric works to interrupt cycles of harm by facilitating structured healing processes to bring about relational growth, development and transformation. Prior to joining the Center for Creative Conflict Resolution as conflict resolution specialist, Eric facilitated restorative circles for Hidden Water to heal the impact of child sexual abuse in the family system. Additionally, he has 20 years of experience within various human service delivery systems from youth work and juvenile justice through end of life care with older adults. Eric is a graduate of UMASS Boston College of Public and Community Service and Boston College Graduate School of Social Work.

Keri-Ann Crawford

Keri-Ann Crawford, Esq. serves as a Conflict Resolution Specialist for the Center and Counsel for the Administrative Judicial Institute. Prior to joining the Center, Keri-Ann was an agency attorney in the Clerk’s Office and a Hearing Officer. Before joining OATH, Keri-Ann practiced employment law, litigating cases at the State and Federal level. In addition to her employment law background, Keri-Ann has mediated Small Claims and Civil Harassment cases and she was a mediation coach assisting educators and high school students in learning conflict resolution skills. Keri-Ann graduated from New York University School of Law.

Nesha Dripchak

Natesha (“Nesha”) Dripchak serves as a Conflict Resolution Specialist. Having worked in many different environments and mediated at the EEOC, Nesha developed a passion for proactively identifying and addressing organizational conflict. She strives to foster and maintain psychologically safe, collaborative, and effective work cultures. She is particularly drawn to promoting DE&I and empowering individuals through facilitated dialogue, which she also accomplishes as a Facilitator at Fisher Beacon (formerly Fisher Law Practice).

Prior to joining the CCCR, Nesha worked with YSC Consulting (part of Accenture) as a people strategy professional. She partnered with leadership on organizational development and change management strategies.

Nesha is a graduate of Columbia University’s Negotiation and Conflict Resolution program and is a Part 146 Mediator, certified by the New York Peace Institute. She is also serves as a board member of the Association for Conflict Resolution of Greater New York (ACR-GNY).

Contact the Center

Email:mediationcenter@oath.nyc.gov
Phone: 212-436-0847
Mail:
Center for Creative Conflict Resolution
66 John Street
11th Floor
New York, NY 10038